Before You Buy · Archive

Reading the label #7

What Does Acidity Mean in Olive Oil? Why 0.8% Is Only the Start

Acidity in olive oil is the percentage of free fatty acids, expressed as oleic acid. It is not a sour taste or a pH value. Extra virgin oil must stay at or below 0.8%, and careful early-harvest oils usually measure 0.1-0.3%. A low figure is necessary for quality, but on its own it proves surprisingly little.

Reading the label #6

What Is the Best Olive Oil for Drinking Daily? 5 Numbers to Check

The best olive oil for drinking is a fresh extra virgin oil with zero sensory defects, low acidity and peroxide, a recent harvest date and a measured polyphenol figure. Drinking it neat is the harshest test an oil can face: no food hides staleness, so freshness matters more than any brand or price.

Reading the label #5

What Is Cold Pressed Olive Oil? What the 27 °C Label Really Promises

Cold pressed olive oil is oil extracted from the olive paste without the paste going above 27 °C. In the EU that is a regulated label: "first cold pressing" is reserved for traditional hydraulic presses and "cold extraction" for modern centrifuges. It describes processing temperature only — not freshness, acidity or polyphenol content.

What Is Cold Process Soap, and Why Is It Different?

Cold process soap is made by mixing oils with lye without cooking the batch: it finishes reacting in the mould on its own heat, then cures for weeks. The difference that matters is what stays inside. The glycerin the reaction produces remains in the bar, along with a little oil that never became soap.

Reading the label #4

What Is Extra Virgin Olive Oil? The Standard Behind the Words

Extra virgin is a legal grade, not a marketing phrase. Under the International Olive Council standard an oil qualifies only if it is extracted by mechanical means alone, has free acidity of 0.80% or less and a peroxide value of 20 or less, and a trained tasting panel finds zero sensory defects.

Reading the label #3

Why Does Olive Oil Burn My Throat?

The burn comes from oleocanthal, a polyphenol in fresh extra virgin olive oil that activates a receptor called TRPA1 — one found densely in the throat and barely at all on the front of the tongue. Tasters call it pungency, and the International Olive Council grades it as a positive attribute, not a fault.

Is Olive Oil Soap Sold in Supermarkets?

Yes, but read the label before you trust it. Most supermarket bars sold as olive oil soap are synthetic detergent bars, and where they are genuine soap, olive oil is rarely the base. Check the ingredient list: sodium olivate should come first, not sodium palmate.

Reading the label #2

How to Tell If Olive Oil Is Real

You cannot prove olive oil is pure at home — adulteration is only settled by laboratory chemistry. What you can judge in a minute is quality: check the harvest date rather than the best-before date, look for a single origin and a published lab analysis, then taste for a fruity, bitter, peppery oil.

Reading the label #1

What Is Early Harvest Olive Oil?

Early harvest olive oil is pressed from olives picked green in October and November, before they fully ripen. The unripe fruit gives less oil but far more polyphenols — the antioxidants behind its grassy aroma and peppery bite. That lower yield and higher nutrient density make it the most prized style of extra virgin olive oil.